Paralyzed Man Speaks First Words with Brain Implant, 'I Want a Beer'

A simple and direct request, but an amazing one because it was uttered by a paralyzed man who is communicating for the first time in months thanks to a life-changing brain implant.

A patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, orALS, was fitted with a chip in his brain that allowed him to spell out sentences one letter at a time, and he used it to order a cold beer.

The guy asked caregivers for a head massage from his mother, curry and soup fed through tubes, and wanted to rock out to the band Tool. He wanted it loud.

The first instance of someone with no voluntary muscle movement being able to communicate is what the Wyss Center is doing.

TheALS patient consented to the brain implant in order to communicate, but now he is completely paralyzed. The chip allows him to spell out commands at a rate of one character per minute.

It took him more than 10 minutes to order a beer, but we think he would say it was worth the wait.

Cheers to science.